Accidental Explanations
by TheDarkTomorrow
Summary: Something doesn't seem right about having two of the same ring. Post Ex-files.  Possibility of a sequel. Yes? No? and will be re-edited soon.


**A/N OK This came to me when I decided I couldn't wait an extra week for the next episode. I've disregarded the package Zane gave her because I could not, for the life of me, take a gander at what was inside. Also, I've left the theft unresolved because we know who did it. Anywho, enjoy. Read and review. I love critique, anything you feel sounds off, write it down. =D **

Josephine Lupo felt like an idiot, a huge one. She hadn't left her desk for over an hour and she could hear the cleaning crews make their way around the building. In the dim lamp light, she could still read the papers in front of her. But Jo's mind was somewhere else, somewhere dark. She gave the ring back to the wrong Zane. She ruined everything. How was she supposed to explain this? Although, a small part of her felt a bit smug that he had given her his grandmother's ring she still felt like crap. A shrill ring broke the silence, startling her. She tried to ignore it, but the high pitched trill echoed in her head until she forced herself to answer it.

"Hello," she squeaked. _Damn_. She cleared her throat in an attempt to gain confidence.

"Jo, where are you? It's almost seven. You okay?" Carter's voice sent a calming feeling throughout her body.

"Just finishing up some stuff at the office. I'm leaving now."

"Okay. I'll see you soon. I've got my famous chicken alfredo cooking."

"Sounds great. Bye." She placed the phone back in its cradle and she dropped her head to her hands. She took a deep breath.

"C'mon Jo, you're stronger than this. You can work through it. Be strong. Be strong." She repeated to herself. She shuffled around some papers and packed up to leave. "Lights out."

"You sure nothing's wrong?" Jo looked up from her pasta at Carter's inquisition.

"Yeah, fine. Just a bit tired from work." She replied.

"mm. How's it goin' on your end?" Carter managed to say, despite the mouthful of food.

"Forensics team is still examining the truck. I don't think Zane did it though. It doesn't make sense."

"Jo, you can't let your feelings get in the way. This isn't your Zane. We still have to treat him like a suspect."

"I know. It's just…my gut is telling me it's not him. This isn't Zane, any Zane."

He paused for a moment, but nodded. "You're right. I still I have investigate him, but I don't think it's him."

"Thanks Carter. For everything," she said while clearing the plates.

"No problem."

Jo was back in her office. She barely slept the previous night as Zane's confused face played over and over again in her head. A knock sounded from the glass door and she looked up to see Zane standing hesitantly at the door.

"I need to talk to you," he said, his confidence slowly but obviously building up.

"Aren't you supposed to be in jail?" She looked down at her desk and began mindlessly shuffling through papers. Zane however rolled his eyes and sat down in the chair in front of her desk.

"I don't know what the hell is going on. You've been acting weird towards me since Founder's Day. You know, when I was in the cell and you told me you would marry me, I assumed it was a pathetic attempt at a joke," Jo looked up, annoyed at his last comment.

"But," he continued. "I went home last night and discovered this." He reached into his pocket and placed the diamond ring on the desk. Jo just looked at him, and he continued speaking. "Funny thing was I already had _this_ in my pocket." He placed an identical ring next to it.

"And…?"

"And I had it checked out. They're identical. Impossible, considering my grandfather had it custom made."

"I don't have time for this, Zane. Please leave." Jo's heart was pounding in her chest. _Crap._ She really had no explanation. _You've been in the Eureka _how long_ and you can't figure out a cover story? Pathetic, Jo. _

"Lupo, what's going on? You can't throw something like this and expect me not to have questions!" He yelled, frustrated.

"Please leave." Her voice shook as she mustered the strength.

"Jo-"

"OUT!" Zane looked at her apprehensively before decided an angry Lupo was too dangerous to risk.

"S.A.R.A.H. door." An agitated Jo growled to the house. She dropped her bag by the stairs and tossed herself onto the couch.

"Wow. You sure nothing's wrong?" Jo bolted upright and came face to face with a half-amused Carter.

She tried to choke out an excuse but she couldn't. Instead, the hard military exterior crumbled and Jo broke into tears. Jack immediately rushed to sit down next to her. Eighteen years with a daughter had taught him _some_ things. After several minutes of Jo's sobs and Carter's shushing, she sniffled and wiped her eyes.

"I messed up. I messed up badly," she managed to choke.

"It's Eureka. Bad things happen all the time. We fix it." His attempt at reassurance, however, only made it worse.

"Not this. I broke up with the wrong Zane. I gave him the ring back." She broke into more sobs.

Jack Carter had no idea what to do. He was never very good with crying women. Although having Zoe taught him general comfort, this kind of upset was best left to the experts. Said experts sat unorganized in the small wooden cabinet in front of him.

"Well, Mr. Heineken, I just don't think you can do the job tonight." He muttered to himself before grabbing a bottle of Jameson Whiskey and two glasses. Once back in the living room, he poured them both a glass before plopping down on the couch next to her. He wasn't in much of a drinking mood, so he opted for tiny sips.

"Movie or sports?" he asked.

"Movie. Violent movie." He nodded and switched on the system. Five minutes of flipping through the database, he found a suitable one, Black Hawk Down. Perfect. No love, just blood. Twenty minutes later, however, his cell phone rang.

"Carter. Yeah. Yeah. I'll be right down." Jack sighed and turned to Jo. She just nodded.

"Go on. I'll be fine. I'll probably just go to bed soon. Go save Eureka," she said and as soon as he was out the door, poured herself a second glass.

"You should be careful Jo Lupo. Excessive alcohol is known to cause damage to the liver."

"Shut up S.A.R.A.H." she grumbled and took a swig of whiskey. And another, and another. Within twenty minutes the screen began to blur. She almost considered going to bed before the door chimed.

"Mr. Donovan is at the door."

"Don't let him in," she half yelled before turning her attention back to the gore on the screen.

"Wow, Jo. You look like a wreck." She whipped her head around to see a smug Zane standing before her.

"How did you get in?"

"I designed this place. I know all its dirty little secrets. Have you seen Carter?"

"He left." She turned back to the screen, hoping he would just walk away.

"Huh. Mind if I have a drink?"

"Yes, as a matter of fact I do." She took another swig and tried to keep her best act up but the closet they made out in at Zoe's party kept popping up in the corner of her eye. Zane however, just sighed and slid next to her.

"No one should drink alone. Not even you, Jo-Jo."

"Fine. Whatever. You're not real anyway." She slurred. Talking at all was a great feat considering the amount of alcohol she had drunk at this point.

"Not real, am I? Haven't heard that rejection line before. And how come I'm not real?" Zane said, deciding to play along.

"You're being nice to me. Therefore, you're my Zane. Not this Zane. The stupid Zane from this timeline. The Zane that never dated me, let alone proposed to me. The Zane that's dating _Zoë Carter _for Christ's sake. Can't we just work out whatever difference we're supposed to so you can leave?"

"You're drunk."

"And?" she turned towards him, unaware that he was now inches from her face. Her heart skipped a beat. He smelled exactly as she remembered him. She stared at his lips as he raised the glass and found herself wondering just how real hallucinations felt. She leaned forward and reveled in the familiar hot breath against her face. She closed her eyes and ended the distance between them. His lips were stiff at first but with her small coaxing, he moved his lips in time with hers. She raised her hand to his hair, running in through the soft tresses. He flicked his tongue over her bottom lip, begging for entrance. She hooked her leg over his lap and shifted so she completely straddled him. When she deepened the kiss and dug her hips into his, a moan escaped from his mouth. She could feel his manhood beginning to bulge, but it only encouraged her. She let her fingers trail along to the edge of his shirt before lifting it above his head. His eyes searched hers, but she was too inebriated to notice the intrigued confusion on his face.

"C'mon," she whispered before pulling his hand in hers. She attempted to stand up but all the alcohol rushed to her brain and she collapsed back on top of him.

"I think you're too drunk. And we have stuff to work out, don't we? I'm carrying you to bed. Where you're going to sleep."

"You can't carry me. You're a figment of my imagination. You're just a memory. I can't believe I'm making out with a hallucination." She began to laugh at herself and tried to get up again. This time, he caught her and swept her up in his arms. Making his way up the stairs he was careful not to bump her head into anything but she eventually found her way into the crook of his neck. He carefully brought her into what he assumed was her room and laid her on the bed. He looked around the room for pajamas.

"I'm sorry I never said yes to you. I think I panicked a little." She murmured from the bed.

"Tell me again, how I—uhm - proposed."

"You were in the jail cell. It was Founder's Day. You got down on one knee, and proposed." She managed to recollect. Her head was still spinning. "You have no idea how much I wish we'd never gone back in time. I wish Henry could fix it. Sometimes I really hate this town."

Zane abandoned his search to kneel next to the barely awake woman. She yawned and turned over. Her back to him.

"Goodnight Zane."

"Goodnight, Jo."

Zane walked along the moonlit path to his car. Lupo kissed him. Jo Lupo straddled his lap and kissed him. He really had just been looking for Carter, but the sight of a drunken Jo was too much to pass up. He was hoping she would loosen up and tell him about the ring. It worked, sort of. But now he had more questions than before. Time travel was impossible, right? Alternate realities were a possibility but not time travel. And why did she think she was hallucinating? He couldn't deny, however, he enjoyed the kiss. A lot. Apparently, so did little Zane.

He slipped into his car and headed straight for Henry's.

He pulled the car up on the drive. He got out and closed the door, hoping the loud slam hadn't woken anyone up. Fortunately, the light in the garage was still on. He knocked on the side door before entering. Henry currently bent over the hood of an old car, his jumpsuit almost more black than brown. He lifted his head at the sound of a visitor.

"Hello, Zane. Didn't expect to you see here."

"Hey, Henry. I hope it's not too late. I just wanted to ask you something."

He put his wrench down and wiped his hands off. He was about to speak when Grace popped her head in the door.

"Henry, Jack is on his way over here from GD."

"Thank you, dear." He smiled at his wife before turning back to Zane and lifting his coffee to his lips. "So, Zane is something wrong?"

"What do you know about time travel?"

Henry sputtered his coffee but regained his composure.

"That it's theoretically impossible."

Zane nodded. "So if someone in Eureka were to be talking about time travel and alternate realities while carrying a ring identical to mine, it would have a reasonable explanation?" Zane pressed. Henry's reaction was a dead giveaway that he was hiding something. Henry sighed.

"Look, I don't really know if I'm the person you should talk to. I assume you're talking about Jo. You should be asking her to explain, not me."

"So, something did happen? She's not crazy? Because she was talking about hallucinations."

Henry thought for a moment, but decided that explanation wouldn't hurt.

"No, she's not crazy. The hallucinations were a result of just another Eureka experiment gone wrong. I really wish I could tell you more."

"No, thank you Henry. Goodnight."

"Goodnight."

"Jack, we have problem." Henry sighed, rubbing his eyebrows.

"Zane." Jack replied.

"Should we tell him?"

"I think it should be Jo. Whether or not we're there is up to her."

"You're right. So, what did you come see me about?"

"I just wanted to know if the DOD device could be used for anything else."

"Theoretically, no. It only knocks out electronics. However, some of the parts would also be incredibly valuable and easy to adapt."

"What, like switching the batteries or something?"

"The battery? No, it's fairly unique, the only other-"Henry froze. "The only other thing it would work for would be something like our time machine."

"You don't think it could have been one of us, do you?" Henry shook his head.

"I don't know, Jack. It's possible."

"Thanks Henry. Night."

"You too."

EUREKAEUREKA

Jo awoke with a pounding headache. She checked her still blurry surroundings until she was sure she was in the right place. She hadn't had a hangover like this since she graduated the academy. She briefly tried recollecting last night's events before groaning. She made out with a hallucination. Apparently, drunken Jo didn't learn not to trust having a hallucination with an identical, real person out there. She dragged herself out of bed, relieved to find she still had yesterday's clothes on. _Boy has _some_ respect. _She desperately needed a Vinnspresso. She changed and freshened up before hiking up the path to her car.

Jo drove down the familiar rode before pulling in front of Café Diem. She pulled open her car door and made her way through the glass doors.

"Morning, Jo. What can I get you?" Vincent called from the counter.

"Coffee and something loaded with protein," she said as she took the bar stool.

"Coming up. Rough night?"

"Just work. Thanks."

He disappeared through the kitchen doors and returned minutes later with a steaming coffee and a lettuce breakfast wrap.

"Thanks Vincent." Jo sipped her coffee in silence for a couple minutes before taking a bite of her food. She heard someone enter the door and take a seat next to her. She stiffened when she realized it was _him_. He ordered a coffee before reaching into his pocket. A clink rang from the counter and Jo looked down to see the engagement ring sitting next to her.

"My grandfather worked double shifts in a shipyard for a year to be able to buy her that ring. If this…other Zane gave it to you, he must of felt you were special."

Jo still didn't say anything and kept sipping her coffee, staring at the plate in front of her. So he continued.

"I talked to Henry. I believe you, you know. I'm sorry you lost your other life. This one is yours. You should keep it."

"I gave it back to you." She finally spoke up. "In this reality, I don't deserve it. I was horrible to you."

"No, Lupo was mean to me. Jo saved me from going back to prison. Twice. Lupo hated me, you don't. I stayed away from her, I want to get to know you." Jo choked on her coffee. Zane smiled, but kept talking. "I want to get to know this incredible girl who Zane cared about enough to give her this ring. I want to take you out to dinner."

"Zane, I don't think-" He placed a finger on her lips.

"Please. I'm asking you on a date." He moved his fingers to cup her cheek. He moved forward, slowly, and placed a delicate kiss on her lips. "Please, Jo-Jo. Give me a chance."

"Okay."


End file.
